Yes: Artists Who Changed Music | One Of Prog Rock's Most Important Bands 

Who do you feel are some of the most influential artists that we should feature? Share below!

Close to the Edge is an amazing album. I still sit and listen to it beginning to end several times a year.

Turn of the century, one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written.

Chris Squire’s “Fish Out of Water” is an incredibly underrated album.

For me Awaken, is a masterpiece - long live YES

Favourite Yes track. 'Awaken' The last few minutes where any other band would have stopped it just builds and builds with key change, guitar solo and choir all pushing the sound to stratospheric levels followed by the wistful coda.

I remember hearing Roundabout for the first time and being blown away. Chris Squire's bass part was like some growling beast that drove the band. And Steve Howe was the most melodic guitarist in Rock playing over changes like a jazz player with classical chops as well and still maintaining a Rock and Roll attitude. I was hooked and bought all their albums. I guess my favorite was "Close to the Edge" and of course "Yessongs" because it was live with Eddie Offerd engineering that incredible sound in a live setting. Astounding musicianship.

I can't believe you skipped "Awaken" on Going for the One. Awaken is Wakeman's and Anderson's favorite Yes track, and mine, and countless others. It was still long and very proggy!

To me Relayer was the high point of Yes. Not just songs but an immense sonic landscape that could transport and energize the listener. The name says it all.

From Yes to 90125 every one of these albums is connected with different moments in my life. Yes music is very special and unique.

Awaken is one of their best songs. Epic and very emotional.

I remember a tv interview with Queen where they asked the four of them who their major influences were. One of them said "Yes" and the others nodded along. Makes sense when you think about it.

What an amazing job on this massive video! Wow. I'm blown away by the depth of the research and Warren's delivery on this mini-documentary.

An absolute stepping stone for progressive music as a whole. Can't imagine prog history without them! Cheers

I analyzed Close to the Edge as a symphonic piece for a music composition class. The piece still amazes me. Watch all the rockers, rappers, and classical musicians who listen to it for the first time in videos online. That song stands the test of time and transforms musical boundaries and crosses genres.

Jon Anderson and the Band Geeks 2 month U.S. tour in 2023 stands out as one of my favorite live yes experiences. VERY close to the Offord engineered and produced sound of the original recordings. I saw Yes in the early 70's live at the height of Close to the Edge, and again in 2023 and feel the 2023 Anderson, Band Geeks concert to be a much better rendition of the Offord engineered albums. The Anderson voice, musicianship at the very same level as the originals, with 2 keyboardists and everyone on stage a vocalist. What a treat. 2 hours of solid Yes with the same beautiful Jon Anderson vocal in the original keys and with all the high notes ... at 79 years old. Wow!

My first proper gig was Yes at Wembley Arena in 78... Wow, what a first gig 👍

Chris Squire is Paul McCartney on steroids + he was so funky. Siberian Khatru is the funkyest prog song ever. Heart of the sunrise, Hold out your hand, have the funkiest bass lines as well.

Fragile & CTTE are pinnacles of musicianship and Eddie’s engineering/production is FLAWLESS. Warm, epic, intense, soaring… the height of prog.

I saw Jon live on stage yesterday, and he still sounds as good as he did in the seventies. Awsome!

"And You And I". Is still and always will be my favorite song from Yes!!! Also I still think close to the edge is their best album which of course is my opinion and I guess I should also say my favorite album of theirs!!

Trevor Rabin, Alan White, and Tony Kaye are the most under appreciated musicians of all time. What they contributed to Yes was massive and they remain essential members of the band’s history to this day…

YES and GENESIS, GENESIS and YES: The whole history of progressive rock. Thanks Warren!

YES❗️The greatest band on this or any other planet❗️Excellent job on this mini doc. I've been a fan for over 50 years with 214 shows seen. R.I.P. Chris and Alan. My brothers you are SO missed❗️🎸🥁😎

The level of musicianship w this band is unrivaled by ANY unless you count Steely Dan's stable of studio musicians.

Tales was their peak. Absolutely wonderful.

For me, The Yes Album IS the definitive Yes album. All killer, no filler.

In the year 2023, I became aware that Yes worked through great personal tensions as a band. Knowing what I know now, though exhausting, sometimes tension accompanies great accomplishments. Once I became aware of Yes, in particular Close to the Edge, I was hooked. Yes is my favorite band in no small part because of their musical sophistication. They used way more than 3 chords with considerable vocal and instrumental texture.

I've seen Yes live more than any other band. In the early 70s I saw them 7 times!

Yes has always been one of my favorite bands. Saw them live 6 times back in the hey days, always was blown away. Let's all not forget Gentle Giant. Another great prog band.

Never clicked a link faster! :) I LOVE YES!!!

I am so proud of what great music this so cold rainy island has given the world

Peter Banks is my Guitar Idol.. I even had a replica of his Yes Rickenbacker made... Banks and Howe are my gods

Tales is one of the most deeply personal records for me, represents an era in my youth and musical development that is beyond profound. Probably my favorite Yes album

Love the classics but also absolutely love “Talk” and “Big Generator”.

I was introduced to Yes with 90125 and knew nothing of their previous catalogue. 10 years later a friend introduced me to The Yes Album and I couldn't get enough. Brilliant. Relayer blew my mind (and several syluses - stylii, whatever). My favourite by far is Drama. In the early 2000s I saw a tribute band called "Fragile" and to my surprise and delight they played the whole of Drama. It was fabulous.

Chris Squire and Alan White - much missed!

Thank you for dedicating a video to the mighty Yes! This video is expertly composed, and I love how you not only cover their progresive material but also make not of 90125 and that era of the group. Also the inclusion of Yessongs! What a great crash course of Yes for someone who may not be too familiar with them. Also loved your inclusion of ABWH, UK, Asia, GTR, ARW, and how the band formed. Thank you so much for this detailed history and legacy of Yes. Much love ❤

This was an absolute joy to watch. I've been a Yes fan since 1971 and the release of the Yes Album, and it was great to see someone just geek out over this band (I mean that as a compliment) and just include so many details throughout their history. Very well done and much appreciated!

Well....I love Tormato AND Drama....lol, just as well as all the rest, some more, some less, but still. The Trevors era is so awesome also and when ABWH came out I got that too and when I first heard it I was like... what?? Heard it millions of times...

An amazing amount of work has obviously gone into this documentary. Well done to the whole team!

I saw Yes for the first time in June of 1972. The Edgar Winter Group was also on the bill and the opening band was...the Eagles! That was a bit of everything all in one night!

The Gates Of Delirium is my very favourite Yes songs. I've seen them live at least 5 times since the '80's.

Release Release, one of the singles from Tormato may just be the most underrated song of all time. Truly a hidden gem.

Seeing Yes with the LA Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl was righteous. One of my favorite bands of all time.

I was having a bit of a crap day when I saw you’d posted this. After sitting down with a cup of tea to watch, the day is much improved. Thanks Warren! Not too long ago I pulled out 90125 after not having heard it in many years. Even though I’m more of an old-school Yes fan, I must say, it has aged extremely well.

I bought Tales in 1974 and it is a great album. It is the Yes album that I play the most. It has grown on me over the years.

I've been a Yes fan boy for 30 years, and a casual fan since the '80s. This video told me lots of tidbits I didn't know. Extremely entertaining and informative. Well done!

Wonderful job, Warren. Been listening to this band and Fragile since a was a mere 6yr old in 1975; I thank the older siblings (and the people they dated) for bringing YES & ELO & Manfred Mann into my young life!

I won't say "best" about anything, ever. But my favorite YES album is Relayer, and my favorite YES track is The Gates of Delerium. Steve Howe is just astounding on this record. Squire and White conspire brilliantly here, like twin brothers with ESP. But then there's And You and I. Awaken. Close To The Edge. South Side Of The Sky. The Ancient. Heart Of The Sunrise. Sound Chaser. Parallels. Into The Lens. On The Silent Wings of Freedom. Leave It...

That intro to Morning Has Broken by Wakeman is absolutely genius and amazing! (and I've heard he still hasnt been paid?)

Tales of tropic oceans. Close to the edge, two of my favorite albums ever.

South Side of the Sky has always been severely under-appreciated. It fluctuates between #1 and #3 on my list of Yes favorites, with Yours is No Disgrace and Parallels being the others. I came rather late to the party. It was 1980, and I had been turned on to Judas Priest's seminal first live album, and was at the record store to get my own copy. Suddenly, this awesome, dense, rich, highly musical sound came over the speakers. It sounded like outer space, and had a propulsive groove. I was hooked before the first vocal kicked in, and went to the counter to ask what it was. The employee ( a Black guy, no less; consider who Yes fans typically are) proceeded to show me the cover and indicated that it was a personal favorite. I wish that I remembered his name, as I am forever in his debt for turning me on to this great band. It's like that with another favorite artist of mine, and I will be forever indebted to my college roomie for hipping me to Joe Jackson. Needless to say, this was the time between my junior and senior years of high school. By the end of my senior year, I had several Yes albums. The ELP discovery did not come for another year. The night before graduation found me at an early Asia show, at the now-shuttered Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. My first Yes show was the 90125 tour stop at the LA Forum. I would catch AWBH at the Greek Theater in 1989, and the Union show in Phoenix will never be forgiven. The lights came up after Roundabout; no Starship Trooper. Magnification excited me quite a bit; it has its' moments, but I could sense that the magic was fading, and stopped paying attention for the most part. I really do have a special affinity for the classic prog era of 69-74, despite being too young to enjoy it when it was current. Fast forward to 2015, and I am a wine demo guy, with only a few minutes left to go in my 3-hour demo (great side hustle). I had known who lived in the neighborhood, from stories the wine steward of the store would share with me. The steward was not present, as it was a weeknight. In walks the Fish. He was a Pinot Noir guy, like me. We had just a brief conversation, and he caught a glimpse of my uke bass on my phone. "What's that?" After I told him, his reply was, "I've gotta get one for me daughter." There was an exchange of contact info,and an agreement to meet. I wanted to put a classic prog tribute band together, had a Gin Blossoms touring musician in the fold, and a Fish endorsement would be huge. The meetings were being scheduled, when the diagnosis came...and more than just a great man died, not long after. These are my Yes stories that can be shared. There is one involving Fish Out of Water that cannot be shared, for the sake of the children of the lady involved.

I've been waiting for this one. Meeting Jon Anderson briefly after he did a solo show at my local pub was one of the many great memories I have with Yes and their music over the course of my lifetime. When Trevor Rabin joined it was like Yes was totally reinvented and he instantly became my guitar idol. Jon still has "the voice" all these years later - do check him out with The Band Geeks if you have the chance. Thanks for the awesome vid, Warren!

Thank you so much for this! I have said for years that Yes does NOT get the recognition they clearly deserve! You wanted to know favorite albums? Well for me there are three that are sort of tied for first and it depends on my mood as to which is top dog…lol. They are The Yes Album, Fragile and Drama. All were masterpieces! And each one yields one of my top three favorite Yes songs…Starship Trooper, off the Yes Album (which is my favorite song OF ALL TIME, by any artist) South Side of the Sky, off Fragile and Machine Messiah off Drama. Although I love all their albums (more on that later) these are my favorites. I will be honest. To me, Chris Squire was the beating heart and the soul of Yes, and I have listened to none of their new music since his death. I agree with Rick Wakeman, the Yes name should have been retired after he died. He WAS Yes and Sherwood is a pale replacement for him. To all of those fans who disagree with me, well sorry. My opinion on that will NEVER change.

I have listened to the catalog of Yes music from Yes to Big Generator 1970-late 90's 90125 still fits perfectly in all of the transformations of the band! Cinema,All good people, City of Love , Hearts and many others. There will never be another like them. RIP to it's fallen members. Farewell to One of the greatest bands in History!!

I can't say enough about the musicianship and mastering of talent of this band. Yes would be my "stranded on a desert isle" pick of all bands. With the richness and diversity of sounds, tempo configurations and artistry, no two songs are alike.

So happy 90125 and Owner of a Lonely Heart getting the recognition in this video. Much like when Rush transitioned to shorter songs, or the success of Asia, Yes created an all time classic with this 1983 release that sounds so great from a production standpoint to this day. Great video and channel!

I personally consider Magnification to be an essential Yes album...

Awaken is my favorite piece of music of all time. I can listen to it a dozen times a day and still be swept away.....

Warren, what a delight! Yes is right up there at the top of the tops for me. Thanks a bunch for doing this! Masterfully done, and narrated as only you can do!

Tales From Topographic Oceans is one of the best albums of all time, it is a meditative masterpiece that sends you on a journey of sonic landscapes and melodic noodley wonder, it is amazing, no matter what anyone says.

I don't care what anyone says, I love Tales From Topographic Oceans. It's the best for long night time road trips.

My introduction to Yes happened one day while I was sitting in my room doing homework and Roundabout came on the radio. I freaked! Then I found it a few minutes later playing on another station. I'm a classically trained pianist and I had never ever heard anything like this way back then. I've been a fan ever since that day and I've worn out 3 copies of Fragile on vinyl.

My first rock concert at Winterland. They opened for Sabbath. I was sixteen. Became a lifelong fan.

Saw them 8 times live through the years, and Jon solo. Supreme!! Unparalleled - Thanks Warren!

Love this presentation regarding my favorite band of all time! Started following and buying all their albums in '71. I went to many of their concerts in the seventies. While I could listen to the early/mid-seventies classic YES albums all day, every day; I also love their other albums since that period of time as well. I remember being utterly surprised by the Drama release and loving it. Later the drastic change with 90125 was another major shift that I adapted to and loved. Then, later on, Magnification became another favorite, even without Wakeman and having some orchestra instead. Along came Fly From Here and I loved that with yet another different sound and singer. Lastly, I'm now listening to Mirror To The Sky and absolutely love it. In fact, it's quickly become one of my all-time favorites of theirs. And it's so remarkable that after all these years, Howe, now at 76 years old is still going strong and doing so well!

Awaken is my personal all time favorite thing Yes has ever done.

I saw Yes seven times in Portland, Oregon and Los Angeles, California. They were one of if not my favorite live act of all time. They were like a Pink Floyd show. A truly mesmerizing and memorable experience. Chris Squire was arguably the best live bassist I ever saw and I saw John Entwistle and John Paul Jones. Growing up on lakes and rivers in the great Pacific Northwest of the United States Yes provided that otherworldly music experience that the mountains and lakes demanded. Along with Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd Yes became part of our party triad of bands that you were most likely to hear at our wilderness parties with auto batteries driving Marshall amps and Pevey speakers on riversides and lake beaches. I loved them and still do as I am into my sixties. Close to the Edge, Heart of the Sunrise, And You And I, Wondrous Stories, 😮Starship Trooper, etc. are still played regularly at our fireside Saturday nights or next to the North Fork Toutle River with Mt. St. Helens shining in the moonilit background. Thank you for this awesome documentary I really enjoyed it. Yes will be played into the universe for all of time until eternity passes. Thank you and God bless.

Squire gets a rickenbacher. The big bang of prog rock.

What I liked about Yes was when you first listened to any track, you could never know the direction the music was going. They never followed conventional composition and were never afraid to experiment. So some tracks might take a few listens before you could understand what they were expressing. Never dull or predictable. Guess CTTE is my ongoing favourite, with Awaken being one of the most spiritually uplifting tracks in my music library. I first heard roundabout at the laserium in the Planetarium in Baker st London that was an experience in of itself being a quadraphonic setup in an acoustically amazing dome.

I've been a Yes fan for years. Saw them at the Hershey Park Arena in 1974 front and center. It was an amazing concert.

Tales will always be my favorite! My friend Mike and I traveled all day in a Camaro listening to tales over and over and over. Almost 50 years later I can still remember every word!

Great review, interesting depth of detail which I appreciated. For me Close to Edge is just perfect, as is Awaken and the very moving Gates of Delirium... still there's the epic Machine Messiah, and the catchy Owner of a Lonely Heart. Such great music spanning decades, the members may slowly leave us, but to my mind the legacy of their work will live on... Thanks for reminding me of such things.

I saw 90125 tour back then. I remember it well. They were excellent. Chris Squires low end was thunderous. Also remember it was sponsored by Sparkomatic car stereos .

On the question posed later in the video regarding the quality of the "later," post-Union albums, Talk, The Ladder, and Magnification are all great. In fact, I would say they were essential for new fans, even if older fans might still have lingering preconceptions based on band politics and "prog vs pop Yes" fan arguments. Talk gets maligned by the prog die-hards, while The Ladder and Magnification get trashed as nostalgia trips, but an honest listen of all these albums will reveal to true Yes fans how much these guys were putting into their new music. All were Yes-worthy accomplishments!

As a teenager in the 70s, I do remember seeing Yes in concert in Richmond, Virginia. It was the most incredible concert with a huge sound.

The Yes Album is a personal favourite but honestly with their body of work any band would kill to be able to write a record half as good as their back catalogue.

I love several Yes albums across incarnations. The Yes Album, Fragile, 90125, Big Generator, Talk, and the ABWH album…even if it isn’t “officially” Yes. Fragile is probably my favorite, though. Favorite song is much more difficult. Maybe Starship Trooper or Wonderous Stories.

I assisted at Sarm on the Union sessions…. fusing ABWH with the then US version of Yes. The sessions at Sarm West were extraordinary, mixing plus some overdubs. Working with Steve Howe was truly amazing.

The Ladder ... is one of the most under-appreciated albums.

I really really love the love will find a way riff. Always gets me on a fun mood. Although I'm not that into the general modern era of the band. Sound Chaser is perfection to me. The Moraz solo hits me deep. Love playing it on guitar, full with attitude and fire. Great video as always Warren!!! Regards!!

I learned more about Yes in this one "session" than through all of the years I've been listening to them. I don't know how the narrator kept all of these band members coming to and fro, to mixers and tracks and studios, etc. It makes me very sad, on one hand, and glad on the other about where they now stand. How can you pick one song or album. They were all great and different. Okay, I am going to choose "Awaken." Thanks again for putting this together, much obliged!

Aside from the obvious choices from the 70's, to me one of the greatest Yes tracks ever is "It Can Happen." I mean, go listen to that song right now and tell that isn't a work of popular music genius.

Yet another exceptional video, Warren! top 5 1 Close to the Edge 2 The Yes Album 3 Fragile 4 TOTO 5 Drama

That was terrific Warren 😎👌 Much like you, I find treasure aplenty in most periods of Yes, but if I had to choose, then Close To The Edge and Siberian Khatru, the Würm section of Starship Trooper, The Gates of Delirium and Going For The One would all be going to my desert island 😉 If we’re talking side projects, I always loved ABWH’s opener Themes and listening to it again recently, was astounded at how well it has aged - still an incredible production! Anyone who loves music but doesn’t know Yes owes it to themself to dive in head first. You obviously love your Prog, Warren - how about Tull next? 🙏

Relayer 🤘 s a perennial favourite of mine. The Jazz Rock Fusion flavour appeals to me. Going for the One has the wonderful Awaken, of course. 90125, also a favourite, kinda Techno-Funk under a veneer of power riffing, and a little 'Avant-Garde' sounding because of it (a good thing). I played Tales from Topographic Oceans all the way through for the first time in a long time, and I'm warming to it. *Might need to factor in a toilet break next time 🤭😆... it's long.

The band so frequently achieved a sort of musical and sonic magic, even as their style changed over the years, and that magical feeling has never waned, at least not for me. As a trained musician who has done a lot of composing and analysis, I'm always so impressed by the sophistication of their composition and arranging. But their symphonic approach to composition in no way prevents them from grooving and rocking really hard when they want to! There are many rock bands I'm extremely grateful for, and I think Yes is at the very top of that list.

_Tales of Topographical Oceans_ is my favorite Yes album. I spent a long time learning that acoustic solo from _The Ancient_ in particular. It's one of those pieces of music I haven't forgotten how to play because of the time I spent learning it.

It's almost impossible for me to pick a favourite album from Yes as there's nothing of theirs that I dislike, really. They are absolutely one of my all time faves... but today I feel like saying that Drama is my number one album. It just kicks along brilliantly. Tomorrow it'll probably be CTTE or Relayer. Gotta give a shout out to Chris Squire's Fish out of Water solo album too - an essential album for anyone looking to discover more music of from these guys.

Relayer and Drama are very underrated. If it weren’t for the band’s better known masterpieces, I think they’d be better known.

"The Yes Album": My sister had a party and borrowed it without my permission and scratched the hay out of it. I made her replace it. She did, and I was happy again. My favorite life-long favorite band. I built a sound system in high school just for "Starship Trooper" featuring a Phase Linear 400 power amp and a SAE 2900 parametric equalizer preamp. I made the large speakers myself. It sounded great!

Yes’ Yesoteric and Pink Floyd’s A Tree Full of Secrets are my two all time favorite bootleg sets

Once again, you knocked it out of the park, Warren! Even though I’m one of those crusty old progers who feel that they should have called it quits after Relayer, I think you gave an even-handed history of this essential band.

"Topographic Oceans" is a phenomenal album, I agree with Steve Wilson, over time, I think the album got more love, though I think "Ritual" was always a fan-favourite. It's a challenge to listen to in one sitting, which is part of the appeal for me. Prog Rock excess? Yes! More of that please!

90125-my era of Yes. This recording made a monstrous impact on me personally. I still remember in late junior high and early high school where, right before I went to bed, I would go in our den and put the cassette on. We had 2 JBL floor speakers; a Panasonic 3 band EQ tape machine; and a Harmon Kardan receiver. It sounded just glorious, so rich and detailed. I just sat there and listened, and did this every night for at least 6-7 weeks straight. It was like a ritual. I still marvel at the production. Trevor Rabin's guitar playing was big for me as well, as this was about the time when I started playing. Other than Eddie, Trevor was a guy I looked up to big time. Try playing "Changes" without first getting your fingers all twisted at the bouncing time signatures. Though I understand not everyone's favorite Yes recording, I put it alongside Signals by Rush as not only complex music but something you need to hear, to put aside time for and experience it. And what a time period as well... Synchronicity by the Police; Missing Persons; this recording; Rush; etc. What a time in music!

A knowledgeable appraisal of the whole Yes thing. Now, nothing impacted me more than the rehearsal picture for the Yes Album on the farm... Superb, I wouldn't mind being the fly over the dung then...

Steve Howe's Sketches In the Sun from the GTR album is amazing. I thought is was two guitars when I first heard it. newer versions he plays it on a 6 string but it sounds huge with the original 12 string.

"And You and I" is my fave YES masterpiece, though I still love "Don't kill the Whale" and the whale-like sounds the keys reproduced. I think a whale would approve. 😂 Dig it, dig it!

In 1977 I used to get up every morning and play Starship Trooper. What a way to start the day. This is my first time for this channel. I can't wait to check out more of your videos. Well done.